Switch assembly for use with a power actuated door



June 21, 1966 w. N. FORBES SWITCH ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A POWER ACTUATED DOOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15, 1964 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM N. FORBES WW ATTOR NEYS June 21, 1966 w. N. FORBES SWITCH ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A POWER ACTUATED DOOR Filed May 15, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Eli...

g u m "M" m y m 2 m am My T l m INVENTOR. WILLIAM N. FORBES WM? ATTORNEYS June 21, 1966 w. N. FORBES 3,257,520

SWITCH ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A POWER ACTUATED DOOR Filed May 15, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

INVENTOR. WILLIAM N. FORBES ATTO R NEYS United States Patent Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,842 7 Claims. (Ql. 20061.62)

This invention relates generally to an improvement in switch assemblies for what are commonly called automatic doors and more particularly to an improvement in a door-mounted electric switch assembly for a power actuated door.

The principal aim of this invention is to provide an improved switch assembly of the type referred to which is capable of providing reliable operation while being subjected to continuous, often rugged, use and yet is sufficiently sensitive to be immediately responsive to a light touch so that even a small child can readily open the door. Included in this aim. is the object of providing a switch assembly having a minimum number of moving parts and which possesses a touch control which can be easily adjusted even after installation without danger of damage to the delicate switch mechanism.

Another aim of this invention is to provide an improved door-mounted switch assembly which is designed to virtually eliminate noise despite the fact that the door acts as a sounding board for noise resulting from the operation of the switch assembly.

A further aim of this invention is the provision of an improved door-mounted switch assembly which can be used in a natural manner for either push or pull operation so that after the switch assembly is initially manually actuated the door is power operated immediately without further effort by a pedestrian. Included in this aim is the object of providing a switch assembly which is adapted to be manually actuated at a substantial angle from the horizontal, particularly for the convenience of children, as well as in the normal straightforward manner.

A still further aim of this invention is the provision of an improved switch assembly which is compact and economical to manufacture and which is virtually free from maintenance requirements.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which is exemplified in the, construction hereafter set forth, and the scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a doormounted switch assembly, partly exploded, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged! cross-sectional View, partly broken away, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the switch assembly in an assembled relationship;

FIG. -3 is an enlanged fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a door-mounted switch assembly, partly exploded, according to the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, partly broken away, taken along line 55 of FIG. 4 showing the switch assembly in an assembled position.

Referring first to that form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, inclusive, a door is shown with its leading or swinging edge in a closed position and having a frame member 12 adjacent a doorway jamb 14, the door and doorway jamb being fragmentarily shown. It

will be understood that a mechanical operator (not shown) is utilized to power the door 10 in the convention-a1 manner during the door opening and door closing movements. A stepped bracket 16, shown as being fixed to the frame member 12, is provided to rigidly secure a switch assembly, generally designated 20, to a face of door 10 adjacent frame member 12. The switch assembly 20 is substantially encased in a box-like cover 22 having mounted on its top wall a handle assembly 23. The latter includes an adapter plate 24 fixed to the outer face of the top wall of cover 22 and a vertical hand plate 26 mounted on the adapter plate 24, the hand plate 26 having an appropriately marked central overlay 28 detachably secured thereto by threaded fasteners.

The details of the switch assembly 20 are best seen in FIG. 2 wherein the base of a generally rectangular housing 30 is mounted to the bracket 16 by machine screws 31 engaging bosses 33 which extend longitudinally of the walls of housing 30 for receiving fasteners 31 afiixing a cover plate 32 to the other end of housing 30. Superposed on the fixed guide or cover plate 32 is a movable operating plate 34 maintained in spaced relationship thereto by a plurality of mounts 36, both the cover plate 32 and the operating plate 34 being rectangular and generally coextensive with one another. The top wall of the cover 22 is interposed for attachment between the operating plate 34 and the adapter plate 24 of the handle assembly 23, the adapter plate 24 being secured preferably by machine screws 37 extending through cover 22 to the operating plate 34.

A conventional microswitch 38 accommodated within housing 30 is shown as being mounted on a raised platform 39 fixed by fasteners engaging bracket 16. An arm 40 of switch 38 is biased outwardly toward cover plate 32, is being undenstood that upon actuation of the arm 40 the switch 38 will be closed to energize the door operator causing door 10 to be operated.

For actuating switch 38 a floating switch operator, generally designated 50,'is centrally positioned in alignment with arm 40 of switch 38. As best seen in FIG. 3, a sleeve 52, preferably formed from a metallic material, is fixedly mounted on operating plate 34 with a ringlike portion 54 contiguous to the inner surface of operating plate 34 whereby the main body of sleeve 52 is generally disposed between opposing surfaces of the operating plate 34 and cover plate 32. An adjusting screw 56 is threadedly engaged in a central aperture of sleeve 52 and projected through an opening formed in cover plate 32 for engaging arm 40 of the switch 38. The end of the screw 56 is provided with an insulating surface 57a to electrically isolate the switch38 from the hand plate 26, it being understood that an insulating covering could alternatively be provided for switch arm 40. It will be noted that both the adapter plate 24 and the hand plate 26 provide apertures aligned with the adjusting screw 56 whereby, upon removal of the overlay 28, the head 57 of adjusting screw 56 is readily accessible for adjusting the touch of hand plate 26 by moving screw 56 relative to the sleeve 52.

So that the floating switch operator 50 is adapted to be responsive to even the lightest touch, the mounts 36 are shown as being spring-mounted at each of the four corners of the switch assembly 20. A mounting or retaining pin 60, desirably of the type commonly called a grease pin, is fixed to operating plate 34 and has a free end portion extending through an aperture 62, formed in the corner of cover plate 32, and alongside the walls of the housing 30. The retaining pin 60 is loosely fit for tilting movement within aperture 62 whereby the hand plate 26 can be actuated, even at an angle of approximately 45 from the horizontal, and the pin 60 will still be moved smoothly without binding. A notably compact assembly is provided by forming the walls of housing 30 inwardly of the free end portions of mounts 36 thereby eliminating the customary square corners of the housing and considerably reducing the size of the entire assembly.

Springs 64, preferably of the helical type, are retained on the free end portion of pins 60 between circular retaining rings 66, received in annular slots formed near the free ends of pins 60, and the inner surface of cover plate 32,

spring 64 encircling spacers 70 for limiting relative movement of plates 32, 34. Spacers 70 may be formed from a phenolic material providing suflicient rigidity to stop the outward movement of operating plate 34 and additionally serve as a support and prevent permanent deformation of springs 64 if the hand plate 26 is pulled outwardly with excess force. Upon the release of hand plate 26, stout, ringlike bumpers 72 disposed about pins 60 between plates 32, 34 serve as stops. It has been found that by forming bumper 72 from a resilient rubberlike material such as natural rubber, neoprene or the like, having a durometer hardness of approximately 95, the noise due to the impact of the operating plate 34 is virtually eliminated. This feature is particularly important in a switch assembly rigidly secured to a door, for the latter normally acts as a sounding board whereby the vibrations caused by the movement of parts is amplified and the entire door reverberates.

Although the cover 22 projects beyond the furthest extension of mounts 36, cover 22 does not extend over the entire assembly in its normal position but rather is terminated adjacent support bracket 16 to prevent any possibility of contact therebetween or binding which would impair operation of the assembly.

Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, the loose fit of the retaining pins 60 enables a pedestrian to pull hand plate 26 directly away from door and also at a substantial angle from the horizontal to draw the operating plate 34 away from housing 30 to actuate switch 38, the movement of the parts being limited by spacers 70. When the hand plate 26 is released, the springs 64 will immediately retract the movable parts in a notably quiet return due to the rubberlike bumpers 72. In the event of an adjustment of the touch, the switch 38 is protected by the head 57 of the adjusting screw 56 which will bottom against operating plate 34 to prevent damage to the switch, thereby enabling even an unskilled workman to safely make the touch adjustment even though he cannot actually see the switch 38 contained within housing 30 nor hear the click of the switch actuation as in a noisy environment.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, like numerals prefixed by the numeral 1 indicate like parts. In general, switch assembly 120 is similar to that described in connection with the first embodiment and similarly assembled. However, in this embodiment it will be noted that hand plate 126 is in a horizontal position and a bar 180 is shown for illustrative purposes as being fixed to hand plate 126 and extends laterally across the face of door 110 at a convenient height to a hinge assembly 132 mounted at the opposite edge of door 110. The switch mechanism 138 is shown in open position, and adjusting screw 156 of the floating switch operator 150 is correspondingly dimensioned to effect unimpaired actuation. The positions of spring and spacer members 164, 170 of each mount 136 are interchanged with the positions of bumper 72 of the previous embodiment, with the spring and spacer members 164, 170 positioned between cover plate 132 and operating plate 134, and bumpers 172 on the opposite side of the cover plate 132 of the free end portion of mount 136. In this embodiment, the hand plate 126 is pushed inwardly to actuate the switch 133. To assure that switch 138 will not be smashed by the switch operator 150 through the use of excess force by a pedestrian, a bumper or bushing 184 is provided on the main body of sleeve 152 so as to be snugly abutting the ringlike portion 154 and coaxially extending beyond the termination of sleeve 152 to a preselected position adjacent cover plate 132. The bushing 184 is formed from a rubberlike material substantially identical to that of the bumpers 72 in the previously described embodiment. To assure that bushing 184 will efifectively bottom against the cover plate 132, an end portion 186 of increased diameter is formed adjacent the cover plate.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has'certain advantages from the standpoint of providing a door which can be manually actuated at any point along the horizontal bar in a direction opposite to that described in the previous embodiment, and also provides somewhat increased strength and rigidity of the assembly. Although as illustrated the hand plate 126 must be pushed directly inwardly, it is apparent that by using a ball and socket joint of hinge assembly 182, or by eliminating the horizontal bar entirely, the hand plate 126 may be tilted to actuate the switch 138 as well as being actuated by a straightforward push. v

The switch assembly of the present invention may be used with doors of various dimensions serving a variety of purposes. When assembled, the switch assembly has a pleasing appearance and is particularly compact and virtually free from maintenance problems. If it is desired to adjust the touch control, even an unskilled workman can do so without danger of damage to the switch and complete dismantlement is unnecessary, for upon removal of one plate the assembly can be readily adjusted. In addition to being economical to use, the assembly has been designed for low-cost manufacture with a maximum number of extruded parts. The noise problem associated with a rigidly secured door-mounted switch assembly has been eliminated by the use of a minimum number of moving parts adapted for noise-proof operation. The assembled unit is held in place with sufficient strength so as to permit strenuous usage without failure under ordinary conditions, and yet is a highly sensitive device so as to be immediately operable even at an angle from the horizontal, under the light touch of a child.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A switch assembly adapted to be mounted on a door comprising, a concealed switch, a support mounting the switch on the door, an operating plate resiliently mounted for movement on the support, and a switch operator fixed on the operating plate for actuating the switch, one end of the operator engaging the switch and the opposite end of the operator being received in an aperture in the operating plate for selectively regulating the amount of force required to actuate the switch, a head on the operator overlapping the periphery of the aperture to bottom against the operating plate to prevent damage to the concealed switch during adjustment thereof.

2. A switch assembly adapted to be mounted on a door comprising: a housing; a support member mounting the housing on the door; a manually operable switch mounted within the housing, the switch having a movable arm; a

cover plate fixed to the housing; an operating plate mounted for movement on the cover plate; a plurality of mounts maintaining the cover plate and the operating plate in'spaced relationship, each of the mounts including a bumper to serve as a stop for limit-ing movement of the operating plate during the opening of the switch, the

3. A switch assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein each of the mounts includes a spring engaging the cover plate and biased to oppose movement of the operating plate during themanual actuation thereof in closing the switch, and the screw being adjustable and including an abutment on the end opposite the end engaging the switch arm, the abutment engaging the sleeve to limit the adjustment of the screw to prevent damage to the switch.

4. A switch assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein a bus-hing is fixed to the sleeve to bottom against the cover plate for limiting movement of the sleeve during the closing of the switch it excess force is exerted in the manual actuation of the operating plate.

5. A switch assembly adapted to be mounted on a door comprising: a switch; a support for mounting the switch on a door; a manually operable switch operator for actuating the switch; a guide plate rigidly fixed to the support between the switch and the switch operator, the guide plate having an aperture formed therein; a mounting pin extending through the aperture of the guide plate, said mounting pin being fixed to the switch operator and secured to the guide plate for movement relative thereto, said mounting pin further being of reduced cross section with respect to the aperture to provide a peripheral clearance therebetween whereby, upon actuating the switch operator to tilt the mounting pin relative to the guide plate, the mounting pin moves freely within its aperture.

6. A switch assembly as recited in claim 5- including stop means for limiting movement of the switch operator during the opening and closing of the switch, the stop means including an annular bumper secured to the mount- 6 ing pin for engaging the guide plate, the bumper being formed of rubberlike material to mufiie a noise source susceptible to being amplified by the door acting as a sounding board.

7. A switch assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein the mounting pin has one end fixed to the switch operator and extends through the aperture of the guide plate to an opposite free end on the opposing side of the guide plate; and wherein an annular bumper is secured to the mounting pin for engaging one side of the guide plate to serve as a stop for limiting movement of the switch operator in one direction, and a coil spring is retained on the mounting pin in engagement with an opposite side of the guide plate, the coil spring being biased to oppose movement of the switch operator in the direction opposite said one direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,052,920 2/ 1913 Hinckley 200--163 2,740,023 3/1956 Kryder 200159 X 2,921,159 1/1960 Elderton et a1. 200159 X 2,952,754 9/1960 Tomlinson et a1. 200159 X FOREIGN PATENTS 510,988 1/1955 Italy.

BERNARD -A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

J. J. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SWITCH ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A DOOR COMPRISING, A CONCEALED SWITCH, A SUPPORT MOUNTING THE SWITCH ON THE DOOR, AN OPERATING PLATE RESILIENTLY MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ON THE SUPPORT, AND A SWITCH OPERATOR FIXED ON THE OPERATING PLATE FOR ACTUATING THE SWITCH, ONE END OF THE OPERATOR ENGAGING THE SWITCH AND THE OPPOSITE END OF THE OPERATOR BEING RECEIVED IN AN APERTURE IN 